Collision Course

Posted on Sat Nov 2nd, 2019 @ 11:38pm by Fleet Admiral Donatella Figueroa & Commander K'Niras Sh'howul

Mission: S01E04 The Outpost Has Eyes
Location: USS Musashi | Deck 1 | Bridge

The Captain of the USS Musashi stood on the Bridge of her starship steely-eyed and hawkish in posture. The standstill with the Sheliak Corporate's menacing vessel was not going to be broken by words alone; One shot was all it would take. If these Sheliak chose to attack first, there very well wouldn't be a USS Musashi left to do anything. The crew would be dead and given the estimated power of the weapon, hardly any identifiable wreckage would be left in their wake. The thought of what that would be like to the friends and families of the deceased was unsettling. Now, she was beginning to fully understand what the word Croatoan must have been like for those who lost loved ones when the Roanoke colony vanished without a trace.

I cannot allow us to become the next Roanoke, but I also cannot allow these people to hold one of my own captive, she thought to herself. The starship's shields were raised under yellow alert conditions for defensive reasons. She would need to order the shields lowered if she was going to evacuate the starship. Doing so; however, also would leave the USS Musashi incredibly vulnerable to attack. Backed into a corner, where she was damned if she did and damned if she didn't, Captain Figueroa made the call.

"Lieutenant, lower shields," she said specifically to Lieutenant Sh'howul. Fig trusted him to carry out the orders, but she was ready to defend her decision should he, Admiral Essex, or any of the crew raise any protest.

K'Niras looked at the captain. He had been anticipating this move and he had also been planning his protest, but now that the moment was here he found that the protest had no meaning. He couldn't even bring himself to voice it. Instead, he replied, "Yes, Sir..." and pressed the key sequence at his station to lower them, despite their alert status.

Essex had left his station. He walked over to the chair and in a whispered tone that only Fig could hear he said, "Steady there. You got the support of your crew. Never leave a man behind." He gave her a reassuring nod that said he'd defend her decision... or at least he hoped she would read it that way. He knew what she was doing. She was doing what he'd do himself.

Fig kept her voice low between her and Essex. "They aren't leaving me with much of a choice...are they?" she said to Admiral Essex. "I either engage them and we all die or I order an evacuation and hope they don't destroy every last one of our lifeboats and shuttles" added Fig locking eyes with Essex. "I have to give them a bigger target" and the target she had in mind was the Musashi itself.

"I'm with you on this. I do have one request. I want to stay aboard here. You'll need help."

"Mister Jakku, send out a general distress signal. All channels... everything from Federation to the best Klingon we can manage," she ordered the young Trill.

It was a peculiar order. They were not actively being fired upon nor had she ordered an evacuation yet. Jakku nonetheless followed through with her orders. "On it, Captain," he said as he started transmitting a general distress signal and transmitting additional ones in Klingon.

The Captain laced her fingers together, her hands making a triangular shape as she brought her hands up to her lips. "If I'm dying here, I'm having witnesses to my martyrdom," she said softly, but Caitian ears would have clearly picked it up, and Admiral Essex was well close enough to get every last word.

Donatella Figueroa reached to her side and pressed down on a comm control on the armrest of her Captain's chair. "All hands... all hands, this is your Captain. The past several years commanding this starship has been a great honor. Many have served aboard her, and under my command, these brave men and women have made sacrifices beyond that words could ever amount. I cannot ask any of you to make a further sacrifice for this starship nor myself."

Fig took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The three or four seconds of open comm silence must have been unnerving. "Abandon ship. All hands, abandon ship. Board the nearest lifeboats and launch. Shuttlebays, prepare shuttles for departure. This is not a drill. I repeat this is not a drill. Abandon ship and get as far away from the Musashi as quickly as you can... God speed to you all," she said in closing, abruptly terminating the channel.

She looked around the Bridge. Everyone was practically frozen at their stations. "That wasn't in butchered Klingon, people. I said abandon ship damn it! That means all of you. Now, get your asses off my Bridge."

Essex watched the motions. He stood his ground. "I'm staying. You can't do this on your own."

K'Niras stepped away from his station, but made no move to leave the bridge either. "The shuttle is prepped for us already. Once the ship is on it's path the three of us can go together." Meaning Essex, Fig and himself.

Michael smiled. The loyalty here was refreshing.

"I have a son aboard, Admiral" Fig said reminding Essex, though he probably did not need reminding. "I have no intention of orphaning him or leaving him with that barbarian Klingon father to raise him. I'll get off the ship... but the two of you are no use to me up here. I am fairly confident in my abilities to ram a starship into the bow of another. They may not have taught it at the Academy, but I've always wanted to try it," she confessed.

Clearing her throat she gestured to the lift. "Those rafts are severely underpowered and will not withstand the potential explosion of the Musashi in close proximity. I need you on shuttles generating enough power to jury-rig your deflectors into pushing the life rafts clear of the Musashi."

K'Niras tipped his head to one side. Here he was, the Chief Engineer, and he hadn't even thought of that bit of the explosion in space part. He nodded, his tail bouncing behind him. "I understand, Captain. You are correct. I will head for the shuttle now. Come on Essex... Leave her alone and let's get this done." He grinned over his shoulder at the admiral as he turned to leave.

He wanted to argue. "You are giving me grey hair Donatella." He looked up at K'Niras, "I'm coming. Don't drop your kitty litter." He didn't like it one bit leaving her and then Seleya crossed his mind and he selfishly hurried his pace.

K'Niras paused for one moment. "Kitty litter? Really?" His ears lay back and his tail jerked back and forth. "Do you really think that's how I operate?" He tried to think of an equivalent insult. "This from a species that's mostly naked... Is that what this is to you, Admiral? A joke?" He shook his head and continued toward the turbolift and the shuttles. "I have no idea what she sees in you," he murmured under his breath when they got on the lift. "You're like a giant... naked... child."

He grinned, "You my friend have to work on your sense of humour." He gave K'Niras a wink. "If you were like my engineer you'd have left a dog bone for me on my desk... he did several times. He'd say I was as irritating as a dog chasing his tail. You should look him up. He might give you some tips." He really liked K'Niras and hoped that he would develop as close a friendship with him as he had with his Engineer Toricus.

"My sense of humour is just fine, Admiral. That simply wasn't funny," K'Niras retorted. He stepped off when the turbolift stopped and waited for Essex. "It won't take long to link up to the deflectors." He headed straight for the shuttle bay at a brisk pace. "I'll need you to fly while I get the link set up..."

He smiled. "That I can do. And for the record, I meant no offense."

K'Niras snorted, stepping through the doors of the shuttle bay and heading for the shuttle. He turned around and walked backwards, without missing a step, so he could look at Essex. "I know you meant no offense, but someday someone might get offended. You should be ready. Regardless of my similarity to Earth's four legged cat variety, I am not a cat. I know you know this, which is why I said what I said, but it's very possible that the next Caitian you say that to, will actually be offended and as an admiral you should know better." He grinned and turned back around to walk properly the rest of the way to the shuttle. "I might actually be starting to like you."

Essex grinned.

The Bridge of the USS Musashi was becoming increasingly more sparse. The last few of the present bridge crew, including Jakku had finally vacated their seats and took the lift down below deck to find the nearest life raft's escape pods on some starships. Finally, Captain Donatella Figueroa was alone with her thoughts and fears. Shields were down, shuttles were being launched, and the life rafts in batches of dozens were being ejected from the hull of the starship, slowly turning the Ares class warship into swiss cheese.

Fig walked across the bridge station to station monitoring the situation until she was satisfied. The occupancy number of the starship had quickly fallen from triple digits down to the double digits, and it was rapidly decreasing to the point where the starship would barely be able to operate. She had to be the last one. Tradition dictated that the Captain went down with their ship. She thought about those words only for a brief flutter of a moment before she scoffed.

"To hell with tradition. I have a life worth living," she said aloud, proudly and with strength in her tone. One last glimpse at a monitor gave her the number she was looking for. The crew aboard was one. It was her and her alone that would take this risk and bring her starship to the brink of death and destruction. She proceeded towards Ensign O'Donoghue's bridge station, one she too was intimately familiar with. Let's hope my helm abilities aren't too rusty, she thought to herself. She was more of a navigator than a helmsman, but she had taken the helm more than a dozen times in her career.

She laid in a collision course straight for the Sheliak's devastating behemoth of a vessel. Everyone was off the starship. She was not going to leave the possibility of failure. Her goal was simple: make them submit even if it was the last thing she or her crew did. Yes, she wanted the ensign back, but as EJ would have said had he been in her boots, "Give 'em hell," and hell she was coming straight for them.

She quickly rose from the seat thinking about making her exit plan more of a reality than theory when the communications station started chittering. That's a hail, she thought as she rushed to the station. Had Starfleet received their transmission? Was a fleet of Federation starships already here to rescue her? "Oh great," she said with a sigh. Help had arrived, so it would seem, but it was not a charming a Federation Starship Captain like Christopher Pike, but the trollish barbarian Klingon, the father of her child and man of her nightmares.

He was hailing her. The starship was already heading for the Sheliak vessel. Fig shook her head. I don't have time for him, she thought to herself. At the communication station, Fig quickly entered the proper coding commands to tie the bridge into the USS Musashi's master computer. "Activate destruct sequence," she said as calmly as she could. She had only ever threatened to do this a few times in her career and never had to actually use it.

The monitors at every station around the bridge began flashing alternating strips of light: red, yellow, and green. An almost mechanical grinding noise began to break the silence. The starship's monotone 'voice' responded, "Working," as it began to process the command.

"Prepare to verify destruct sequence one," commanded Fig aloud swiftly without missing a beat. The computer began to continue the process and followed her orders flawlessly. "This is Captain Donatella Nicola Ochoa Figueroa, Commanding Officer USS Musashi. Begin authorized destruct sequence one, code one, one alpha."

It only took a matter of seconds. The computer replied. "Destruct sequence one, code one, one alpha verified. Voice authorization verified, Commanding Officer Figueroa, Donatella N.O. rank Captain... standing by for further authorization."

Fig smirked. "Override First Officer and Second Officer verification, authorization Figueroa Seven-Theta," she said as she left the station and waited for the lift.

The computer did not put up a fight. "Override approved. Self destruct activated... thirty-second self destruct countdown to begin on your order."

Fig boarded the lift and held onto the pitchfork like device "Deck two," she said sharply. It began its descent. "Begin thirty-second countdown," she said once the doors opened.

---Klingon Ship---

Aboard the QIH Qa', which was sitting not too far off. The Captain, Ke'gak, was screaming at his officers. "BEAM THAT CRAZY WOMAN ABOARD NOW!"

The Operations Officer hopped to, but looked over his shoulder at his captain with a little bit of concern in his eyes. Ke'gak didn't miss a beat. He glared at him, splitting his attention between the viewsceen of the starship plowing into the Sheliak vessel with rather glorious results. He leaned forward in his chair slowly, the chair creaking in protest, and leveled his gaze at his officer. "You better tell me that we have her on board."

"Yes, Sir."

Ke'gak got up from his chair. "Move away from that mess. I will speak with our guest." He stormed off the bridge without another word.

The Klingons had beamed Captain Donatella Figueroa, directly to their medical facility, or at least what sort of looked like a medical facility, and enclosed her in a force field.

One moment she was exiting the turbolift on the second deck of her Federation Ares class starship, preparing to climb into a life raft and eject it with seconds left before her starship collided and exploded. It would not have given her much time to get clear. She would have been balled up practically praying for one of the rare occasions in her life that her scheme worked and that she'd thread the needle, coming out alive and on top.

That; however, was not what happened. She no sooner stepped foot off the turbolift, did she end up being swept away by an alien transporter. When she rematerialized, it became rapidly clear that she was not aboard a Federation vessel. This was no Federation Sickbay. It hardly could even be considered one. It did not even smell the least bit sterile, and the instruments looked more like the tools of a butcher than a physician.

A sinking feeling set in. She knew where she was once the transporter's subtle disorientation wore off. Klingon ship, she thought as she tried to step forward to pick up one of those menacing instruments. It could be used as a weapon if needed. She didn't have a phaser on her. It was times like these that she wish she carried one at all times, but the Klingons would have just rendered it useless when bringing her aboard.

She was stopped by a forcefield. "Oh come on," she muttered to herself. You knew that was not going to work. It never does, she thought to herself. It would only be a matter of time before the man of her nightmare walked into the room.

Ke'gak burst through the doors of the medical bay and stalked his way towards the captive captain. "WOMAN!" he yelled. "What in the world were you trying?" He stood close enough to the forcefield around Donatella that he could feel its vibrations. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" He studied her, not sure what to make of what he had just witnessed. Not a lot could surprise the Klingon Captain, but for some reason he couldn't wrap his brain around this Federation woman.

"Shut up and lower this force field," she said immediately. She gave little care and no regard to his questioning or belittling of her. "I don't have the patience for your barbarism. So, put the torture on hold. I have a crew member on that alien vessel. Did I damage it? I need to know, Ke'gak!" she shouted back. "Scan it for human life signs," she added.

"I will let you look for your missing crew member, if you promise to behave if I lower this..." Ke'gak said, crossing his thick arms over his chest. "You did quite a bit of damage to that ship. Whoever they are. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon."

There was a prideful smirk on Captain Figueroa's face. She had been successful in inflicting damage. She nodded in silent agreement to 'behave' herself. "They are called the Shelliak. They massacred a Federation colony and abducted a member of my crew. Their weapons are... they make your Empire seem much easier to defeat. Mark my words, Ke'gak, they won't stop with Federation worlds."

"I think you humans call it Xenophobic... big word for a small problem. Or at least small people. We don't come over here." He shooed off the medical personnel and stood at the console to lower the field for a moment, just looking at the Federation woman. She had no weapons and he was a Klingon, a formidable one. So why did he worry so much about letting her go? Finally, after several moments, he hit the button and lowered the field.

"Not our first encounter with a Xenophobic species, but they showed no regard to our colonists. They exterminated them like rodents," she said, shaking her head. "At least your people, as barbaric as they are, have honor... for whatever it's worth. My crew abandoned ship under my orders. We launched craft and escape capsules. Please tell me they weren't destroyed."

"No one destroyed," he responded. "I do know which one contains my son though..." His eyes narrowed a little. "I can extend more help, seeing as how your crew is adrift and there are no other Federation ships for miles." He crossed his arms over his chest again. "They're going to be adrift for a long time without it, but what are you going to do for me?" He stepped back and waited for her to step down out of the containment area, giving her, what he felt, was more than enough room.

"I behaved myself didn't I? I haven't killed you where you stand. I would think that is a start" she shot back verbally. "Could have grabbed something and stabbed you if I wanted, but there's a saying on Earth 'Theres bigger fish to fry' and right now my concern is the Sheliak" she said.

She gestured towards the doors. "If you'd be gracious enough to haul us closer to our space that would be appreciated. The Federation is undoubtedly sending starships our way as we speak. I can see to it that they don't shoot at your little fleet or whatever it is you've brought with you, but my business here is not over. I want my crew member back safely, and I want answers from the Sheliak. Hail them... and ask for their surrender."

"They're not going to answer you, but here you go..." He stepped back from the panel he was close to. "Go ahead and try. I will tell my ships to pick up your crew and leave them unharmed," the Klingon said. "I want to see him..."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere until they answer," she replied. "Your ship does have weapons does it not?" added Figueroa. "They will answer or they will be destroyed. I assume their shields were lowered in the process of my having rammed them and blew up my ship? Have my crewmen beamed aboard one of your vessels and tend to any wounds he may have."

Ke'gak snorted, his arms still crossed. "I have weapons. Weapons that can hurt them... and yes, their shields are down. You find him and beam him. Everything you need is there..." It was one of the reasons he had had her beamed into medical. All of the panels gave her access to a wide variety of ship functions. "I want to see him..." he repeated.

Fig laughed. "You give me far too much credit," she said looking at the Klingon. "These controls are in Klingon, Ke'gak. I know a few spare words here and there, but I may very well activate your waste disposal than your weapons. Care to lend me hand? Or at least change your language setting to the linguistically impaired?"

Ke'gak's fists tightened and he uncrossed his arms, lowering them to his sides. His eyes narrowed. He knew the woman wasn't deaf. "I can do that, but I want to see him. All you have to do is say, "yes," and I will help you as much as I can." He was trying very hard not to get angry, but it was starting to fail.

She let out a frustrated sigh. "You can see him, but he leaves with me. He's with my Andorian Security Chief aboard one of the ejected Federation life rafts. I'll find which one and beam him here."

Ke'gak reached over and tapped a series of buttons. "Comm to the Sheliak ship is now open..."

She mouthed a polite thank you to him. She had the child transported onto one of the medical beds and gestured towards the child. Fig would allow this visitation while she dealt with the Sheliak. "Sheliak vessel this Empress K'Tosha of the Klingon Empire. Release your Federation hostage to our custody or be destroyed. The Empire does not recognize your territorial claims."

Ke'gak chuckled at her announcement, as he made his way to the biobed. The baby looked Klingon, somewhat. His ridges perhaps not quite so pronounced. He looked strong and healthy. Ke'gak stood there next to him for a few moments before he reached down and picked the child up, holding it out in front of himself to examine him further. "A baby needs his mother. I'm not going to take you away from your mother right now..."

The response she got was not exactly an unconditional surrender. The damage she had caused to their vessel left them vulnerable, and she had several Klingon vessels stalking around. Of course, she was no Empress of the Empire, but the Sheliak did not need to know that. She was not inclined to be completely truthful nor reveal all her cards. She muted the channel and looked at Ke'gak "Find my ensign while I deal with these... people," she said with disgust. "You pluck him off their ship and they lose any ground they have on me. I'll make them submit one way or another," she added sharply.

Ke'gak was actually already looking for her missing crewman, baby in one arm as his other hand tapped out scanner controls and relayed messages to his other ships.

As Ke'gak worked on locating EJ and beaming him off the Sheliak vessel, Fig fired a volley of torpedoes just off the damaged bow of the Sheliak ship, forcing them to explode before impact. It rattled their cage and incited a response. They barely had engines, and the lack of weapons fire seemed to indicate they had been declawed and defanged for the time being at least. She spoke with an almost Klingon tone of pride. "The Empire will not tolerate your insubordination much longer. I claim this region of space for the Empire!" she shouted, slamming her hand down atop of the console, getting into character for this charade to work. "You will leave here and not return. The Federation is willing to deal with you diplomatically... the Empire is not," she added before terminating the transmission.

She looked over at Ke'gak, hoping she had distracted them long enough for him to get a lock on EJ and whisk him off to the 'safety' of another Klingon vessel. "Did you get him?" she asked immediately. "I do not know how this is going. They are either going to buy it or they will stand their ground until their 'friends' start showing up."

"One moment..." Ke'gak answered. There was only a brief pause before he announced,"Got him or her or whoever... one human life sign, scooped up and deposited onto a ship with a doctor. I suppose now you'll want me to get out of here?" He wasn't looking at her, his gaze instead was focused on the baby in his arms.

"Thank you," she said to Ke'gak. The words came out easily enough, but the bitter taste left in her mouth and mind afterward would linger for several weeks. She had her crew. The Sheliak were backed into a corner, and the Klingons were like circling vultures ready to pick the bones of the Sheliak; However, her loyalty was true to the Federation and the uniform she wore day in and day out was that of Starfleet. She would not end the Sheliak here and now. No, she would show them mercy... something they failed to show the Federation colonists.

Captain Figueroa had called off the Klingons with a simple glance at Ke'gak. She would notify Starfleet of her plan and summon the reinforcements she would need. With a channel open to the Sheliak, Fig transmitted coordinates to them. Near the Tau Cygna system on a small planet the Federation charted as Armens, Captain Donatella Figueroa planned for a Federation convoy with a diplomatic team to meet her and representatives of the Sheliak Corporate where the Treaty of Armens would be signed in coming months. Cutting the channel, she looked at Ke'gak "I require a lift to the Tau Cygna system," she said matter of factly.

Ke'gak was staring at the baby. "Anything you want," he said simply.